Chell woke up and it was early in the morning. She stretched and enjoyed another greeting from the gracious sun that seemed so happy to see her again. She turned over to see Wheatley sitting cross-legged on top of a quilt in the corner of the room. He grinned to see her awake and she grinned to see someone waiting for her. She crawled over to the corner of the bed to lie on her stomach and reach out to him. He crawled closer to her bed, too, and took her hand in his.
"Morning, luv. How'd you sleep?" He moved a piece of hair out of her face. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Good, good. Are you ready for the day?" She smiled and nodded again.
They both stood up and walked into the parlor to sit on the couch. Grace was already cooking breakfast in the kitchen that neighbored the parlor, cooking something that smelled shockingly familiar to Chell.
"Good morning! How are you two?" She smiled a bright smile.
"Very well. Thank you again for letting us stay here."
"Ah, no problem." She pulled a plate from the blue cupboards that hung above her sink, and moved the sizzling strips of what Chell then realized, was bacon, on to it and placed it in on the coffee table in front of Wheatley and Chell. Chell immediately devoured a couple pieces. She hadn't had bacon since she was much younger, and she didn't remember that, she just remembered that it was bacon.
"Oh my goodness!" Grace came back in the parlor. "I never offered you two a bath or clothing!"
Chell looked up briefly from eating to nod. Wheatley just rubbed the back of his neck, sneaking a sniff under his arm and deciding he probably could use a shower.
"Ah, yes, that'd be greatly appreciated. But I- I don't expect you'd have any clothes for me…" Wheatley muttered.
"Well, I have an old suit in the attic, but it's a little dusty… And not to mention unfashionable." Grace giggled. "It's just a brown suit and a turtleneck." She sighed, nostalgically. "Oh wait! I have some pajamas that'd fit you. If you don't mind wearing them while I run your clothes through the washer."
Wheatley accepted the offer, and chose to take a quick shower in the guest bathroom, while Chell was led to Grace's closet. "You get the special treatment!" Grace smiled at Chell, who was in bewilderment of all the clothes. "Now, sweetheart, um… Do you plan to speak?" Chell shook her head and shrugged lightly. "That is fine. I understand, you do what you want, okay? You're free now. Don't worry, I understand you." Chell was mildly unsettled by the words 'understand' and 'free'. But she chose to just pay attention to the clothes that surrounded her. "Pick out some things, why don'cha?" Chell browsed until she found a little white blouse and some simple black jeans. Before she could even make a motion of thanks, Grace said "Pick out some cozy shoes, too. Your feet must ache like wild." Chell realized she was still wearing her fall boots. She sat down and pulled them off. She closed her eyes and smiled at the free feeling it gave her. She had to hold on to Grace's shoulder for a few minutes when she stood up though.
She decided on a pair of orange flats. "Good choice!" Grace helped her fold up the blouse and jeans neatly and she carried them into the bathroom, Chell following behind. Grace ran a bath for Chell, and then left to finish making breakfast.
By the time Chell got out of the curious thing called a "bath", her fingers were pruned, but she felt a million times better. She slipped on the clothes, which fit her surprisingly well. Same body type, I guess. She thought to herself, as she straightened her blouse. Grace knocked on the door. "You dressed?" she asked, through the door. Chell opened it and Grace came in. "Need a hair brush?" Chell nodded and pulled out her pony tail holder. Grace nodded and went to the parlor to serve Wheatley breakfast.
He sat on the couch, his hair still damp, wearing blue striped pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt. He felt fresh and clean. Grace put a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, which he thanked her for and quietly ate. Wheatley was deep in thought as he chewed and swallowed. He thought about this curious Grace character, and how long he could stay. He thought about how Chell couldn't talk, and he thought about if they would be together for always. He thought about GLaDOS, and he thought about his old core body, he thought about the people at the hotel, he thought about everything, because for once he had a quiet minute to. Chell was okay, and that was all that mattered to him, at the moment. He took a good 7 minutes to think about how terrible he felt though. And how much he owed her, and how lucky he was to have her forgiveness.
Chell walked out of the bathroom, hair brushed, teeth brushed, clothes on. As soon as she stepped into the parlor, she took Wheatley's breath away for a moment. She smiled in his direction. She's lovely with her hair down, idn't she… he thought to himself. He scooted over and made room for her on the couch. She ate her breakfast and wiped her mouth with her napkin, and once she was sure her hair was dry, pulled it back into a tight pony tail.
Grace took her spot across the coffee table on the wooden chair and grinned at Wheatley and Chell, who she couldn't help but notice, smelled a LOT better. "So, you two can stay with me for a little while, but I expect you to help a little around the house, if you do."
"Y-yes! Of course, that is if you show us the ropes." Wheatley mentally checked that off of his list of worries.
"Sure I will! But that's for later. Now, you two just get comfortable, okay? I'm sure you're still exhausted from the trip." Grace took up their plates. "Oh, and I have to go to work. I'm just at the garden store down the street, okay?" She added from the kitchen.
"Ah, sure," Wheatley replied. Grace took a green jacket off of the side of the couch and tied an orange scarf around her head.
"See you guys later." She winked and closed the door behind her, and left Chell to try and figure out what was so familiar about her.
Thank you so much for all the follows and sweet reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm feeling inspired, more on the way! 3